Promise
by Inoin
Summary: There's a new kid in town. Aok Huon and Kriegermon, a new Digimon. A love triangle between Aok, Ryo, and Rika outline as a string of Digimon attack the trainers and their Digimon specifically. Can Ryo and Aok set aside their feelings to save the day?


***AUTHOR'S NOTE:PLEASE REVIEW! THANK YOU!*

Digimon Tamers: Promise

Arrival

Rika Nonaka exited her private elementary school. It was boring, she knew, but it wasn't as if she could just drop out of it. A group of boys, runners from the looks of it, passed her by. They were shirtless, and she made eye contact with one of them as they ran past. He was handsome, although rather pale: He stood about 175 cm tall and had brown hair with just a hint of brick red in it. The boy was built very nicely, with a chiseled torso and a very nice bottom. He flashed a wide smile at her and kept going, past the others as they struggled to keep up. Was he showing off? She banished the thought as she realized she had been blushing. Bah! Rika thought. He had to be 14, maybe even 15, years old. And she had more important things to worry about, such as if the world would be jeopardized again by a rampaging Digimon. They appeared every so often, but not nearly as frequently as they had before Calumon had been kidnapped by the Sovereign and Devas before the D-Reaper nearly deleted the entire planet, she thought back to those dark days and the absolute fear she had faced those dire weeks. But it was all over now. When she got home she found Renemon waiting for her.

"How was school?" the fox Digimon inquired.

"Oh, hey, Renemon," Rika replied absentmindedly.

"Rika," Renemon laid her warm hand on her shoulder. "What's on your mind?"  
>"Huh? It's nothing Renemon. Don't worry about it. It's nothing important." Rika answered, turning her face away and picturing the boys face. When she turned back to face her partner, she was blushing again.<p>

"Rika! Why are you blushing?" she asked, surprised. She had never seen her blush if she wasn't embarrassed by something. What was on her mind? "Rika," Renemon began again, "What's the matter with you?"

"I told you, Renemon, it's nothing. There's no reason to worry!" her Tamer snapped, turning away.

"Very well, Rika. I won't inquire any farther," she acted hurt, hoping to guilt her young friend into opening up to her.

"If you really want to know, I was just, thinking about someone I saw today," she turned back towards Renemon, looking down at the floor.

"Oh?" Renemon was surprised. "Was it a boy?" she teased.

"Does it matter?" the young girl crossed her arms.

"What's he like?"  
>"I don't know," she spoke with malice, a bad habit of hers. "I just saw him out running with a group of boys. But I've got more important things to worry about, and he's too old for me anyway."<p>

"Was he, now?" Renemon smiled at her. "This will make an excellent dinner conversation, don't you think?" she stood up and walked away, turning her back on Rika.

"Don't you dare, Renemon!" the girl shouted after her.

"Or else what? She grinned, turning back at Rika before disappearing up to explore the city.

Aok took his sweaty clothes and threw them in his duffle bag. It was his first day at his new school and he would be staying with his uncle on his villa near the edge of the city. As he walked the two miles to his house from the high school he thought of the cute little girl he had seen during his run. She had had orange hair tied up like a pineapple and a teal and white shirt with a heart on it, and a belt and straps around her legs. She was gorgeous, albeit young, and he knew he had to stop thinking about her. She must've been 12 and still in elementary school! It couldn't have worked. Still, that girl with the heart on her shirt was on his mind as he slid open the traditional-style doors. There were two such villas on this street: his uncle's and someone else's. He tossed his bag in his room and went over to the hot spring to cleanse his self.

The spring was shared by either villa, with a wooden fence separating the two properties. It was his first day here and he looked up at the trees and bright blue sky as he lay floating on his back. Suddenly, Aok was dragged underneath, and the scalding water scorched his throat as he breathed it in. Only one culprit could have done it to him, he knew.  
>"Kriegermon!" He shouted once he broke up through the surface.<br>"Welcome home!" the warrior-type Digimon smiled and laughed. Kriegermon looked like a ninja, almost, with black cloth covering his face and torso, with just-as-dark pants and a blood-red belt. Aok knew that Kriegermon was a force to be reckoned with even in his rookie form.

"Rika!" Renemon shouted as she was getting ready to go into her mother's villa's hot spring.

"Renemon, what is it!" she cried, throwing on a towel around herself and grabbing her digivice off a rock.

"It's a Digimon. A _strong_ Digimon."

"Nothing we can't handle. Let's go!" Rika started running for the gate.

"You should get some clothes on, don't you think?" Renemon suggested.

"Oh, right."

Forty seconds later, Renemon picked Rika up and jumped over the fence where the Digimon supposedly was. Instead of a Digimon, however, she noticed a familiar face: the boy she had seen earlier today.

"AAGH!" He shouted, dropping into the water. Out of it came Kriegermon, who shoved Renemon out of the way of Aok and knocked Rika into the water. When she came up, the boy was offering her his hand, and he was wrapped in a towel.

"Are you okay?" he smiled as she brushed his gesture aside and got out on her own. Behind him, Kriegermon and Renemon were going at it, and Rika was shocked to discover her partner was _losing._

"Stop it, Kriegermon. There's no harm that will befall me." Aok spoke softly. The Digimon halted and for it he got both of Renemon's feet into his jaw, and he flew backward, twisting in midair to land on both his feet. "Do you think you could call off your partner? Kriegermon won't fight now, and I don't want him to get hurt."

"Renemon," Rika said sharply.

"Are you sure?" the vixen inquired.

"I suppose we can talk this one out."

"Thank you." Aok smiled his bright, friendly smile. "Come inside with me. I'll get you some clothes you can borrow while you dry your wet ones." He began walking towards his house. "I'm Aok, by the way. And you would be?" he turned around, and she was gone.

"Kriegermon, where'd she go?"  
>"She and her Digimon hopped over the fence. I think the two of you are neighbors."<p>

"Neighbors, huh?" Aok whispered softly. "It's polite to introduce ourselves."

"If you insist, Aok."

"I do."

Aok knocked on the door and an elderly woman, about 65 or so, opened the door. She wasn't at all surprised by Kriegermon, and immediately called out behind her. "Rika! You have a visitor!"

"I'm coming!" Shouted that gentle but stern voice he now recognized.

"Oh!" She froze when she saw who it was. "What do you want?" She asked the boy with an air of condensation. It disheartened Aok a little bit, but not nearly enough so.

"Can I talk to you? Outside?" he replied calmly.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever."

"Why did you disappear like that?" Aok inquired.

"You were naked!" she cried.

"I had a towel wrapped around me snuggly. There wasn't worry for any issues like you're thinking of. You're still wet," he noticed. "Kriegermon, would you be so kind?"

"Only because you asked so politely." There was a hint of sarcasm in there, Rika noticed. Then, the Digimon this kid called Kriegermon wrapped her in a bear hug. His body was excessively warm, and soon she could no longer feel the chill from the wind against her wet clothes. She knew Renemon was nearby, and felt her flinch when Kriegermon committed the gesture.

"Thanks," she said, turning away. He could feel her staring at her, and she was at a loss for words anyhow.

"So you live here, then?" he inquired. Even though she knew he was asking for information, the way he said it made it sound like he just wanted to make casual conversation.

"Yeah, I live here. What's it to you?"

"Nothing. It's just I live on the other side of the fence. I wanted to apologize if I disturbed your Digimon. It's gorgeous, by the way."

"Renemon? Yeah, I know."

"How long have you had Renemon?"

"How long have you had Kriegermon?" Rika retorted. Aok laughed.

"You're funny," he chuckled. "I've had him about three years," he smiled. "I'm Aok, by the way. I don't believe we've properly introduced ourselves." He held out his hand. Rika looked over to Renemon, who nodded ever so slightly.

"I'm Rika," she turned back to Aok and shook his hand. It was comfortably warm, and it felt good on hers, which was still cold. If he felt the chilliness, he gave no indication.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Rika. I have to go finish taking a shower. I think I stink," he laughed lightly, getting up to leave slowly. "Kriegermon," he said without looking for him. He appeared next to Aok and they exited the gate. Right before he shut it, Aok turned to look at her for a few moments. "See you around, Rika," he left finally.

"Bye," Rika said, even though she knew he couldn't hear her. About a minute later she heard a loud splash, and a few moments after, "Kriegermon!" she guessed what had happened and laughed.

Henry and Takato met up with Rika and Renemon in the park. Guilomon and Terriermon were with them.

"It's a Champion," Henry told them. "Schattenmon. Warrior-type Digimon. Special attack is Lighting Fury Punch. Even for a Champion, it's a strong one."

"Ready, Guilomon?" Takato asked, stepping forward.

"You bet, Takato," Guilomon began charging.

"Digimodify!" Takato cried, pulling a card through his Digivice. "Digivolution activated!"

"Guilomon Digivolve to – Growlmon!"

"Terriermon Digivolve to – Gargomon!"

"Renemon Digivolve to – Kyubimon!"

The three Digimon attacked all at once. Schattenmon was unperturbed, knocking all three aside with a swift kick that hit each one of them in succession. Despite his smaller size, he was very forceful, and extraordinarily quick. The tri knew they'd have to Digivolve again or Digimodify to beat him. Just as they were about to, however, a dark shadow flew in from above, and slammed Schattenmon into the ground. It was Kriegermon, Rika noticed. Why'd he have to be here now? They could take care of this guy their selves, she knew.

"It looked like you guys could use some help," Aok smiled as he ran up behind them. They were in the middle of the park, and it looked like he had run all the way there. Still, he wasn't at all out of breath. In fact, he looked refreshed.

"_We_ can handle this," Rika snarled. Aok took a step back.

"Hey now, Rika," he began. "We're all on the same side here."

"Do you know this guy?" Takato and Henry looked confused.

"I'm her new neighbor," Aok explained, turning back to fight. Kriegermon and Schattenmon were fighting, and Schattenmon had the upper hand.

"Digimodify!" Aok pulled one of his own cards through his Digivice. "Hyper-speed activate! Digimodify! Stamina activate!" He drew a second card though it. Then, Kriegermon turned the tables, becoming a blur as he raced around their enemy, inflicting punches and kicks from dozens of points seemingly instantaneously. Within five seconds, Schattenmon dispersed into data, and Kriegermon absorbed it.

"That was a pretty clever combination," Henry spoke up as Aok and Kriegermon walked over to them. "Giving him a speed boost and then energy to go all out, even though he was already really fast. Brilliant," he chuckled. "Wouldn't you agree, Rika?"

"I've done better," she grumbled.

"Thanks, man. Kriegermon's not exactly a Digimon capable of taking a direct hit and being able to shrug it off like it's nothing. I have to focus on his strengths when we battle. My entire deck is for that purpose only. I don't have a lot of cards to give him a weapon or shield from another Digimon. They're mostly modify cards. That's why I have him absorb other Digimon's data, so he can learn their attacks, Aok explained. "I'm Aok, by the way. Who are you?"  
>"I'm Henry, and this is Takato, Gargomon, and Growlmon," he introduced each one. "It looks as if you and Rika have already met," he chuckled warmly.<p>

"Yeah. Earlier today, actually." Then he smiled. "Why don't all three of you and your Digimon come to my house for dinner? My uncle has plenty of food, so don't worry."

"Can we Takato? Please?" Guilomon asked after he transformed back into his Rookie form.

"My parents won't mind," he smiled and rubbed the top of Guilomon's head.

"I can, too." Henry smiled.

"What? We just met him and you're already going with him?" Rika asked in exasperation.

"It's on the way to your house, anyway, Rika," Aok tried to persuade her. "You don't have to come if you don't want. I won't mind,"

"I'll go, but only to make sure you aren't up to anything funny," she started walking away towards the villas.

"Whatever you say, Rika," Aok smiled. It was a beautiful name, and it belonged to an extraordinarily pretty girl. He caught himself again. She's only twelve or thirteen years old, he thought to himself. I'm fourteen, and in a few months I'll be fifteen. And it can't workout, can it? He pondered this while they walked to his house, answering any questions directed towards him and looking at Rika every so often. Such a pretty girl.

Rika could feel the eyes of their new acquaintance looking at her, and she blushed as she took the lead so no one could see. Henry caught it. "Rika, why are you – " Renemon cut him off. Henry could make the connection as he looked back and saw Aok looking quizzically at her with soft, affectionate eyes. What was going on here?

Dinner was fresh bread rolls with steak and mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans served with glasses of chocolate milk.

"This is really good!" Guilomon shouted through a stuffed mouth. Aok laughed as his uncle came and cleared some of the plates that had been set aside. "Thank you, Uncle," Aok smiled and helped gather some of the dishes he could reach.

"How long have you been in Shinjuku, Aok?" Henry asked.

"I've been here for two days. I moved here because my Uncle is also my Godfather. My parents were," he paused, and tears fell from his face, although his voice didn't sound like he looked, "were killed in a car crash about a week ago. My sister took me in for a few days while I got everything packed, but I had to come here." He got up and walked outside. Rika, surprising even herself, followed him outside. Kriegermon just looked down.

When she found him, he was hunched over the hot springs, looking at his reflection in the moonlight. She couldn't tell how much he was crying until she set a hand on his shoulder and he looked at her. She clenched it but said nothing, opting to look up at the full moon.

"I'm fine until I think about it. Then it hits me, each time as hard as the first," he confided in her, if only because there was no one else to open up to. Then he stood up. "I don't want your pity. It's in the past, and I have a piece of them with me. Crying about it and feeling sorry for myself won't bring them back so why bother? Come on, let's go get some dessert. We get sundaes."

"Are you okay?" Kriegermon stopped Aok as he walked past him.

"I'm fine." Came the reply. He walked around the corner and into another room, and came back several seconds later carrying a large platter of ice cream. His uncle followed with one filled with condiments.

"So do the three of you just go around town searching for Digimon to take out?" Aok asked through a mouthful of ice cream.

"Only if our Digimon sense a dangerous one," Henry answered. "Otherwise we leave them alone."

"Kriegermon is dangerous. He handled the D-Reaper on his own until it disappeared suddenly. Or we did, at least. I helped him with some modifications and stuff like that," he smiled.

"Your Digimon went at it with the D-Reaper on his _own_?" Takato gasped. "That's incredible!"  
>"Well, I gave him an exoskeleton from Kabuterimon to protect him and then pumped up his speed, energy, and strength when the D-Reaper's agents got huge. The hard part was keeping at it. I felt every hit he took, and he felt every hit I took,"<p>

"You got attacked by the D-Reaper?"

"I distracted it. Not fun at all, but it saved Kriegermon, and that's all that matters."

"You really care for your Digimon, don't you?" Henry said after a few moments of silence.

"What kind of person would I be if I didn't? At first, I only saw him as data, and I fought Digimon trying to get him to evolve. It wasn't until an Ultimate came and wiped out my neighborhood and nearly killed me that he digivolved. I thought of him thereafter as a friend, and I've been so much happier ever since. We've had some pretty great memories." Aok sat back and laughed at the memories of the past. Rika moved forward when he choked up and wiped a tear from his eye. She caught Henry looking at her with a questioning look. Then she looked at the clock. 9:04 PM.

"I had better be getting back home," Rika spoke and got up. She bowed slightly in a show of good matters as Aok's uncle saw her off. "Thank you for the meal, sir,"

"Please, call me Charlie!" He laughed. And waved her off.

'Yeah, we had better get home, too," Henry said. He and Takato got up, bowed and left.

Aok helped his uncle clear the dishes and wash them as well.

"Why are you acting so strange, Rika?" Henry asked her at the gate into her yard. "When he went out the door, you followed him. Why?"

"Like it even matters to you," she scoffed before lightening up. "I don't – really know," she whispered. "I just felt like it was the right thing to do."

"Ahh," he grinned. "Rika's got a cru-ush! Rika's got a cru-ush!"

"Shut up! He'll hear you!" she clamped a hand over his mouth and held it there until he stopped struggling. "I _don't_ have a crush on him. He's cute, he's handsome, but so are a thousand other guys in this city. He's nothing _special_."

"Oh yeah? How many of those other guys talk to you and invite you to dinner and have Digimon?"

"I'll see you later," she turned and closed the gate behind her. "Next time I'll tease you in front of him!" he shouted after her, and the four remaining friends laughed. A rock sailed over their heads moments later. "Hey!" they ducked just in time to avoid being struck.

Aok _did_ hear the conversation as a result of it being dead silent, he laughed to himself, and as he dried off his hands he told Charlie he was going out to play his guitar for a bit.

"Don't keep your girlfriend's family awake," he teased his godson a little himself.

"She's _not_ my girlfriend. She's too young, from the looks of it."

"I was older than my wife by three years. I met her as a senior in high school when she was just a freshman. Age really doesn't matter, especially at your age. Go for it, my boy. See what happens," he smiled warmly and handed Aok his acoustic guitar.

He sat on top of a large rock and began to play a merry tune that transformed from melodic notes to harmonious chords and shifted back and forth for a few minutes and doing a few scales before breaking out into a gentle song about sorrow because of a girl.

Rika and Renemon were staring up at the night sky when they heard Aok began to play. They concentrated on his gruff but appealing voice over the din of the music.

"It's beautiful," Rika whispered. She didn't like to sing, but a song popped into her head and she began to hum a merry tune of her own that flowed with the guitar. She awoke the next day in her bed. She must've fallen asleep against Renemon and her partner had laid her down in her bed. She got ready for school and headed out the door in an excellent mood for herself. She exited the gate and saw Aok wave to Kriegermon and his uncle before turning and catching her staring at him.

"Hey, there, Rika!" He shouted, jogging over to catch up with her. "You walking to school?"

"Yeah," she replied, and began to walk towards the street in her grey blouse and skirt, her school's dull uniform.

"Do you mind if I join you?" he asked.

"If you must," she tried to maintain her apathetic attitude.

"Thanks," he smiled at her, and stayed at her pace, which was rather fast.

"So you go to the private all-girls school across the street from West Shinjuku High? You're wearing their uniform," he deducted.

"My mother makes me," she replied. "But I don't like it, or the other girls there." Rika noticed her heart was pounding, and, despite her greatest efforts, couldn't get it under control. What was the matter with her?

"You don't seem like the type of girl that would go there," her walking companion admitted. "You're too free-spirited."

"What would you know about me?" the girl scoffed, her heart pounding faster than before.

Aok felt a bead of sweat fall from his brow; he was blowing it. He quickly tried to salvage the situation.

"I just haven't met a Digimon Tamer who isn't free-spirited is all," he tried, hoping it was the right thing to say.

"Is that so?" she looked at him, then smiled. "What else have you figured out about me?"

"What?" he was caught off guard. It wasn't like the night before, when what he thought was her sympathy led her to follow him outside. She was genuinely asking him a question in honest conversation. Perhaps Renemon said something to her to get her to attempt to let me be her friend, he thought to himself.

Rika couldn't help herself. When Aok answered her hostile question, she was unable to keep a smile inside.

"Is that so?" she nearly choked on the words. "What else have you figured out?"

While she was curious to know what he thought about her, she also hoped it would allow her time to compose herself.

"Well," he began. "I'm not too sure, actually. You seem like you're really a big softie, but you hide with a hard exterior. I can't say too much, really. I like you and all, but I haven't had the time to get to know you. I can make a few inferences like the one I just did, but that's all, so far."

Rika looked at him with a hint of exasperation. He didn't know anything! She got angry, but relaxed when she told herself he had only known her for less than three days. You couldn't get to know someone in three days.

"What have you figured out about me?" He laughed softly. His resulting smile was warm and comforting.

"That you're way too cool to be real," she muttered under her breath half-sarcastically.

"Come again?" he asked.

"Nothing,"

"You haven't figured _anything_ out about me?" he inquired incredulously.

"Huh?" _What's is going on with me? _She screamed inside her head. _Why can't I act myself around this kid? What's wrong with me?_ "Oh, it's just, I dunno. You seem…nice." _Nice? Nice? That's all I can muster? UGH!_

"Haha! Well thank you! That's very _nice_ to know." _He's messing with me! No, wait. He's… _teasing_ me? Is that it? Why would he tease me? Unless…. No. _Rika talked inside her head. There was no chance of that. He was a high schooler. No way would he have time for her, she knew. She infuriated herself at this.

She, Rika Nonaka, the Digimon _Queen_, was head-over-heels for a guy she had just met, and she couldn't even have him. What was this desire for companionship? She had Renemon! She didn't need anyone else. At that point, she reluctantly accepted that she would come to love this Aok Huon. But she'd be fighting it the whole way.

"You alright?" he asked, touching her shoulder. She flushed, and he took it off.

_What's the matter with her? Why is she acting this way?_ He thought to himself. _Could it be that she _likes_ me? Impossible. She's just met me. No way that _she,_ the Digimon Queen, would fall for him so easily when he'd just met her. Had he said something to make her feel that way? _She _doesn't_ like you! He yelled at himself. _Still_…

They came to the crosswalk where she would go straight and he right to get to their respective schools.

"Bye, Rika," he said, charmingly, in his friendly manner.

"Bye," she paused for a moment. "Aok."

This was the first time she had said his name, and he felt his heart lurch when she spoke it with an almost reverent tone. He watched her as she navigated the crosswalk with about a hundred other people, then turned and ran across to his own school.

Acceptance

Aok could barely concentrate on school that day, and by the time he was at the park, with the rest of his squad mates, running 800 meter repeats up and down steep hills, shirt off and in short running shorts, Rika Nonaka was the only thing on his mind. He glided up the inclines with his powerful quads, not even out of breath as peaked over the top of the first hill and began the descent back down. He pictured her in his mind, and imagined her walking down the path towards him. But he didn't know why Takato and Henry as well as their Digimon were with them. It took him a few moments to understand he _wasn't_ imagining her; she was actually there. He flashed a wide smile and ten seconds later the next pack or runners went past the bewildered children, ignoring their tiny audience. It was their first of six such runs, and he desperately hoped they weren't just passing through.

"Rika, are you okay?" Guilomon looked puzzled.

"Huh?" said Takato, looking at Guilomon and then the girl. "Guilomon, what are you talking about?"

"_I'm_ fine," she said.

"So why are you looking at that kid like he's the only thing in the world, Rika? Why are you staring at him like that?"

"Wha– ?" she was bewildered. _Was I really staring at him? What did I look like to Guilomon? _

"Oh, don't worry about her, Guilomon!" Henry laughed. "She just has a crush on him his all!" Takato joined in the laughing.

"I _don't_ have a crush on him!" She shouted. "Why would you think such a stupid thing!" _Is it that obvious?_

"Because you _do_!" Replied Henry, wiping a tear from his eye. "Come on, Rika, it's all over you! We aren't making fun of you because you have one, it's because you're too proud to admit it!"

"I'm not too proud," grouched the young girl.

"So admit it." He challenged.

"I can't." she answered stubbornly. _You want to._

"Because you're too proud?" _No._

"Because I _don't_! I. Do. Not. Have. A. Crush. On. Aok!" _Quit lying to yourself._

"You'll never get anywhere with him if you can't accept you like him, Rika. Oh well. I'm sure another pretty girl come along and he'll fall for her just like he did you," he pretended to walk away.

"Get back here!" Rika demanded.

"What do you want now?" he faked annoyance.

"What did you mean by that? Are you trying to tell me something?" she grabbed his shirt and pulled Henry close. _Please tell me what I hope you mean._

"Why do you want to know?" he smiled maliciously. Rika released him then.

"Forget it. I don't care if you were or not. I was just curious, is all."

"Fine. Don't ask me if I think he likes you back. It doesn't matter. You don't care, after all."

_This is pointless. It's obvious they've already figured it out._

"Okay! I like him!" she spread her arms wide. "Are you happy now? You want me to spell it for you? I will. I, Rika Nonaka, really like Aok. I think he's cute, and handsome, and charming, and amazing. Is this what you wanted to hear? Well? Is it?"

"Do you really mean that?" Aok panted as he passed her from behind. She hadn't heard him running up in her yelling. And they had known it all along. Even Renemon had, yet she did nothing about it. She froze, not knowing what to do. _He'll know if I'm lying. I might as well come out and say it. _

"Yes," she mumbled, barely audible. She couldn't tell if he had heard her, but he glanced back for a last look before rounding a bend, smiling. _The only time I haven't seen him smile was when he was distraught from his parents' deaths. Is he ever _not _smiling when he's not upset?_

"YES!" shouted Takato.

"What's your issue?" she had reverted back to her usual self.

"You finally admitted it! Maybe he'll ask you to be his _girlfriend_," he put emphasis on the last word, as if he was making fun of it. _Girlfriend? I'm barely 13? But there are already some girls who have boyfriends. But girlfriend and boyfriend? They really had just met, but there was this strange connection she felt with him. Perhaps they could merely "go out" until they got to know each other better. An open relationship of sorts; they could be together without being together. _She liked the idea greatly. It wasn't an enormous jump, but still got her where she wanted. They waited until he passed again.

"I meant it," she looked at him. It was all she could do to hold his intense gaze. His eyes were like the deep blue sea, their depths unfathomed. Five minutes later, he came around again.

"Can I ask you a question?"

_Another lap._

"Sure," she nodded her head.

_One more lap_

"Do you wanna go out sometime?"

Rika had to wait another 25 minutes before they saw him run up to them from the same direction he had while running the repeats, this time with a large backpack flopping behind him.

"When do you wanna come get me?" she shouted out. It didn't matter if the others heard; they already knew and there wasn't anything she could do about that.

"How about seven this Friday?" He stopped in front of them. She could detect faint traces of his body odor but it was mostly hidden by a body spray he must have used. It was quite appealing to her nose.

"That sounds great!" she turned and crossed her arms. "What are we gonna do?"

"I was thinking we could figure that out at 7:10 once we've left, actually," Aok scratched the back of his head, laughing.

"So you ask me out on a date and you don't even have anything planned?" she asked incredulously. "That's just great!"

"I like to be spontaneous. Come on, let's go!" he grabbed her and slung her over his back with deft ease, but without making her uncomfortable in the slightest.

"Put me down!" she demanded.

"I will later." He began to run off. "I'll catch up with all you in a bit!" he shouted back to the two boys he had left behind.

"That boy has got her head over heels," Henry observed.

"Yeah, but at least she's happy about it," Takato replied.

"I agree. But I don't think she wants to be,"

"How can that be?" Takato asked, but Henry just looked after them before turning back to his friend.

"Let's go get something to eat. I'm sure our Digimon are starving!"

Promise

"Where are we going?" Rika asked. Aok had put her down shortly after picking her up. Perhaps he was exhausted from his workout that day but was unwilling to admit it, for his excuse had been that it might be uncomfortable for her to talk while she was bouncing around like she had been. She knew that was complete bullshit. He ran as graceful as a gazelle, and the ride had been very comfortable indeed. As of right now, the two of them were walking through downtown. The sun was beginning to go down, but it would be awhile, perhaps another ninety minutes or so, until it set. They had plenty of time.

"I think to a restaurant. I'm sure you must be hungry," he looked at her and smiled. She returned it. _This is all so wrong. _Rika thought. _But I don't care._

They ended up going to a café and got two sundaes. They talked about their Digimon and the D-Reaper, as well as the Digital World. Aok was really interested in that.

"I can't imagine what it's like. I bet it's gorgeous!"

"Actually, it's pretty barren," the pineapple-haired girl told him the story of their adventures in it, the Digimon they had faced, and all they had met.

"That Cyberdramon sounds like a really tough opponent," Aok said when she spoke of how Ryo and his partner had saved them, reappearing after his vanishing shortly after he had beaten her in a Digimon tournament.

"He _beat_ you?" he looked surprised. "He must be amazing then," he looked at her and added. "But I could still take him. You haven't seen anything like Kriegermon and I when we really try battling!" he threw his head back and laughed.

"I wouldn't be so cocky. Cyberdramon is probably just as powerful as Kriegermon's Ultimate Form," she assured him.

"Don't bet on it!" he laughed cheerfully. "Kriegermon and I, we make the best team ever. We're too much of a team to lose," He looked out the window. It was getting late.

"Well, I hope you had a great time tonight, Rika," he beamed a brilliant grin that spread across his entire face. "It's nearly sunset. If we hurry, I promise you can see it at the top of a hill as it sets down below the horizon!"

"Alright! Let's go!" she agreed. "You'd better keep your promise!" _I am such a piece of silly putty around him. _Why_ do I act this way? Is it me? Him? _

The duo raced to the top of a large hill, and when they got to it, Rika gasped in amazement.

A canvas of oil pastels was pasted onto the sky around the sun. Rich oranges, reds, and magentas painted the horizon. Dark grey-violet clouds drifted lazily across. A light flashed, and Aok knew at once that something was terribly wrong. It was confirmed several seconds later as two Digimon roared overhead as he took Rika and threw both of them to the ground just in time.

He grabbed his Digivice from his pocket and called out for Kriegermon. Rika did as well, but it would still be a few minutes until they got there.

"We have to get out of here before they come back," he grumbled to himself, getting up and bringing Rika along with him as he rose. He turned and saw the two Digimon, a Champion-level Devidramon and an Ultimate-level Butenmon."RUN!" he shouted, pushing Rika in front of him towards a group of trees. They hid behind them, waiting for their Digimon to come to them.

"Why would these two Digimon attack now? Rika asked.

"I don't know," Aok answered.

Devidramon, perhaps sensing their fear, turned to face where they were, even though he could not see them hidden as they were. Even so, he leaped towards their hiding spot, using his Crimson Claw attack to cut cleanly through the trees, narrowly missing the pair of adolescents, who once again took off for their lives, Butenmon now joining his fellow Digimon's pursuit of them. Aok was sure to keep Rika in front of him, and stopped to pick up a stone, turning and chucking it at Butenmon, who used his massive sword to bat it aside. But it got his attention, and Aok turned to lead the Digimon away from the young girl. "Find Renemon! She'll save you! I'll lead them away until then!" and with that he raced towards the imposing Digimon, racing past them as they look bewildered.

"Come and get me if you can, you ugly brutes!" he taunted. Angry, they turned and followed him. _That idiot!_ She thought exasperated. _Just like Ryo, always taking on danger like it's nothing._ She glowered at the direction they had disappeared before running out after them, Renemon now with her. Suddenly, a dark shadow fell in front of them at an unimaginable speed. For a moment it stood still before leaping up again. It was Kriegermon, and even Renemon seemed shocked by his speed. Rika pulled out a Digivolve card and swiped it through her digivice, and her partner transformed into Kyubimon, who let Rika onto her back before racing after Aok's frantic Digimon, arriving on the scene nearly thirty seconds later.

With his back towards her was Aok, and in front of him, Kriegermon had Digivolved to his next stage, Soturimon. There wasn't much difference, except that now he had a katana-style sword sheathed and he was a little bit bigger. She noticed a string of throwing stars were also hanging from his belt, which now had a black stripe on its ends, and, she would soon see, a white elongated eye with a slit pupil on his headband. His energy level, however, was as high as a weak Ultimate's, his strength slightly increased, and his speed was nearly doubled. His defense, however, decreased to about 75% of Kriegermon's. She knew what that meant. Soturimon was a Digimon built for only one thing: attacking.

Devidramon made a move towards him, but he ignored the Digimon entirely, as though he weren't worth the fight, despite being the same level. Renemon joined the fray to prevent Devidramon getting a clean shot at Soturimon's back. Butenmon shot down towards the Ninja Digimon, who jumped out of the way, but was forced to use his blade to block his adversary's. Eventually the two humans bumped into each other as their enemies pushed them back.

"Having fun?" Rika asked.

"No," Aok replied, looking down at his Digivice as it beeped. Rika looked at it to.

"Uh-oh."

"I know," Aok replied. Butenmon was an expert swordsman, legendary with such a prowess that he was capable of taking on a thousand warriors. He was enormous compared to Soturimon, and nearly every part of his body, wings included, were covered by armor. A bead of sweat dropped from his forehead as he contemplated what to do. Soturimon was on the ground, desperately pushing against Butenmon's sword with his own, but was only able to keep it at a stalemate in which he was at a supreme disadvantage. He grabbed his deck and began swiping cards to even the playing field. He was reluctant to have Soturimon Digivolve to his Ultimate level, as his knack for disobedience, lust for battle, and sheer power created a volatile mixture he did not want Rika or anyone to be exposed to. Using hyper-speed, stamina, and a Kabuterimon card that formed a hardy exoskeleton around Soturimon, he succeeded in making this a fair fight. Kyubimon made easy work of Devidramon, but when she went to help Soturimon, Aok stopped her.

"This is Soturimon's fight, and my own as well. We've got this. Guard Rika. Make sure she's okay."

"When you need me, let me know," she replied, turning and hopped towards Rika where she stood by her, and walked with her back over to Aok.

"Don't be so greedy!" she snapped at him. "Accept our help! You need it!"

"If I am forced to, I will make Soturimon evolve to Harcosmon, his Ultimate Form. If I have to, you must hide, and Kyubimon too. It's an impossible task to get him to obey, and Kyubimon will present a good opponent,"

_Just like Cyberdramon. Just like Ryo, only I can't help but fall for him. At least with Ryo I could pretend I didn't like him. _

The comparisons between the two Tamers had to wait, because Soturimon threw several of his throwing stars at Butenmon, one of which was wide to the right.

"That last one was a nice shot," Rika mentioned sarcastically.

"None of his throwing stars are ever off-target. Just wait,"

It bounced off a building and then a second, coming back to strike Butenmon in the back, cracking all the armor off of one wing and shattering it. Butenmon paid no heed, kicking up at the reeling Soturimon, who had had to break the stalemate and allow such a hit in order to get an attack off. It burst through the exoskeleton, cracking it and throwing Aok's partner into a building, several of whose floors collapsed on the Digimon. Aok also collapsed, and grabbed his side.

"He's hurt bad," he gasped. "The exoskeleton armor didn't even faze Butenmon's kick. A direct hit from such a physically powerful Digimon could nearly destroy him,"

As he said this he pulled a second Digivolution card from his deck and swiped it through his Digivice.

A blinding light appeared where Soturimon lay damaged, and when it faded it appeared as though it were still the same Digimon that was vastly weakened with Butenmon's powerful kick.

"He sure doesn't change much," Rika noted aloud. Footsteps behind her revealed Takato riding on Growlmon's back and Henry and Gargomon next to them.

"We came as soon as we could," Henry gasped.

"Stay back!" Aok demanded without looking back. Rika looked and saw that he was shaking horribly. Was Harcosmon really that scary? She checked her Digivice to find out.

Harcosmon was an Ultimate level Digimon, and had the exact same dimensions as Soturimon. Once again, however, there were subtle differences. The red belt had a second black stripe on its tips, and the eye on its headband was now surrounded by a black flame. He had a psychic attack, much like Soturimon's Psychic Pulse he was either unable or unwilling to use, known as the Dark Scar Attack, which unleashed a powerful blast of Harcosmon's psychic energy in a straight line. That was released from his sword, while his new fire attack used his throwing stars. Called the Pyro Vortex, when Harcosmon threw one of his stars, a maelstrom of flame would burst out from the star's front towards the opponent. She noticed that the defense of this Digimon was that of the average Champion level, which was quite a noticeable increase from Soturimon's. His speed was faster still, and so did his energy, while his power barely moved at all. Most Digimon got stronger in all aspects, but Kriegermon and his Digivolutions increased in only a few aspects, but to a much greater degree, while greatly sacrificing others or barely increasing at all. She looked on to see what would happen. She didn't have to wait long.

Harcosmon threw a star, and a front-facing whirlpool of orange fire raced towards Butenmon. Immediately after throwing it, he burst towards his opponent like a bullet, slashing down with his katana and unleashing his Dark Scar, and a swath of absolute nothingness slammed into Butenmon as he slashed through the throwing star with his sword, leaving him completely vulnerable to the effects of the second attack, which was surrounded by an ominous dark violet aura. He roared in anger at his defeat, but was quickly cut off as he burst into data, which Harcosmon promptly absorbed. He turned towards the other Digimon, but Aok ran up in front of him, brandishing his Digivice.

"Calm down, Harcosmon! Know that you don't have to fight anymore! You can change back to Kriegermon! Please do it! This form of yours I exhausting, and you don't want to be tired and vulnerable in case another Digimon that's just as strong shows up later!"

Ignoring his Tamer, Harcosmon wielded his blade in front of him, the same aura that enveloped his Dark Scar surrounding his sword. They all took a step back as their Digimon moved between them and the danger. Harcosmon began to raise his sword.

"Stop this, Kriegermon! There is no need to fight anymore!" Still he did not listen. A vortex appeared high in the sky, although the marauding Ultimate paid no heed to the disturbance, but was forced to as Cyberdramon slammed into Harcosmon, Ryo hanging from his back and gripping his shoulders. Ryo stepped down and swiped a clone-Modify card that made an exact copy of Cyberdramon that was in fact not real, but interacted with the world as though it were. The real Cyberdramon stepped behind the scene, reluctantly allowing his fraudulent look-alike to do battle. Ryo swiped two cards from his deck: WarGreymon's Shield and a Power Freeze card. Clearly he had witnessed Harcosmon's previous attack. Harcosmon repeated it, and Cyberdramon fended off the flame with the Shield, which was destroyed after it endured the searing assault. His Dark Scar disappeared because of the Power Freeze, and Harcosmon, bewildered by the fact that his opponent had not been eliminated as he moved too quickly toward the faux Cyberdramon with his sword down, made the same mistake Butenmon had made, and opened his eyes wide as his new enemy prepared to finish him off with his Desolate Claws.

"You're finished, beast!" Ryo cried out at Harcosmon. Aok, who was next to him, laughed, pulling a Hyper-Wing card through his digivice as well as a speed card, allowing his partner to pull up just out of reach of Cyberdramon's deadly attack. As Harcosmon landed out of the way, no doubt trying to think of an attack that could defeat Cyberdramon, Aok ran out into the battle.

"Stop!" the brown-haired kid shouted, no doubt concerned for his safety, but gave no indication that he had even heard Ryo, instead running up to Harcosmon and grabbing onto his leg.  
>"Please, Kriegermon, come back," He buried his face into the cloth of his digital friend. Sheathing his sword, Harcosmon then proceeded to pick Aok up by his shirt collar's back, in a non-menacing manner. They gazed into each other's eyes, and as Harcosmon blinked, the eyes that appeared from behind his eyelids were not those with a lust for battle, but the compassionate ones of Kriegermon.<p>

"I'm sorry, Aok," he said sadly in his gruff voice. The fire and eye faded from his headband, as did the stripes on his belt, and the sword winked out of existence along with the throwing stars as he decreased in size from eight feet to his usual six feet, regaining his usual slimness.

"It's okay," he whispered softly, turning to face Ryo.

"I don't know who you are, but call off your Digimon! As you can see, my partner is no longer a threat," he demanded.

"Your _partner?_" he shouted, clearly furious at its intent to harm the others, specifically Rika. "That _monster_ could've killed my friends and erased their own partners! You expect me to let him go just because he got weak? No! He must pay! Stand aside!"

"No," he spoke coldly. "Your Cyberdramon is indeed powerful, but he could not take on Harcosmon and hope to emerge the victor. That 'monster' and I took on the D-Reaper in America by ourselves. And were _winning_ until it disappeared. No, I will not allow you to harm Kriegermon. No crime was committed, nor has harm befallen any of _our_ friends. There is no need for my friend to be harmed himself. Now call off your Digimon," Aok spoke that last sentence with such conviction that Ryo finally backed down.

"Fine,"

Kriegermon and Aok walked over towards Rika.

"If there should be another instance in which my friends might be in danger because of you and your Digimon, I will not hesitate to strike him down,"

"Just try it," was all Aok said, just loud enough for Ryo to hear it, and spoke of it as though it were a challenge, not a retort.

"Will you two cut it out!" Henry yelled at both of them. "Nobody's hurt, and we have to figure out why those two Digimon came after Aok and Rika right away, even though they didn't have their Digimon with them."

"Henry's right," Takato stepped up beside him. "It doesn't seem that likely that two Digimon like that would work together. I mean, Butenmon's supposed to be a good Digimon, isn't he? Devidramon is supposed to be bad. Why would they be working together to come after us?"

"I don't know, but I'm gonna go patrol the city, see if there are anymore Digimon attacking. Kriegermon, are you up for it?"

"Always," he shot a glare at Cyberdramon. Aok walked up to Rika and set a hand on her shoulder. Ryo tightened up, and Cyberdramon began to growl. Noticing this, Aok held on for just a second before speaking, taking the moment to look her in her beautiful violet eyes.

"I'm sorry if you didn't have fun tonight, Rika. Did you at least get a good luck at the sunset?"

"The sunset… oh, yeah, I saw it. It was real pretty. Thank you," she answered without smiling.

"Good." He turned and walked through the on-looking boys, electing to bump into Ryo to avoid Takato. "Sorry," he said so that it was quite obvious he didn't mean it.

"Stay frosty," he called back, and began to run off with Kriegermon at his side.

"I don't like that kid," Ryo looked at Rika. "It's nice to see you again, _Princess_," he smiled. "How have you been?"

"Real good until about twenty minutes ago when all this started," _What the hell is happening? _She was panicking in her head as her heart began to beat faster as she and Ryo spoke, like it always did. _Is it possible to like two guys in the same way at the same time?_

"Yeah," he looked down. "What are you doing hanging around that guy, Rika? He's dangerous, and you could get hurt!"

"We were," she struggled to find the right words. It had been a date, really, but she couldn't tell him that. "We were hanging out is all. He's my new neighbor, and I was just – showing him the city is all,"

"Your _neighbor?_" he looked horrified. "Well, there's not much I can do about that, I suppose, but please don't hang out with him anymore than you need to. I don't trust that Digimon of his." _Like I could stay away from him._

"Don't you tell me what to do!" she shouted. "Aok saved us! If he hadn't been here, who knows what would have happened!"  
>"Hmmph," Ryo grumbled before releasing his tension. "Well, as long as you're okay," he smiled at her. "I really happy to see you. It's lonely in the Digital World."<p>

"Ryo, have you noticed anything peculiar in the Digital World recently?"

"Yeah," he got solemn. "Something has happened there alright. The Digimon, they've been taken over by a, a, virus or program or something. Whatever it is, the Digimon there aren't right, and I've been forced to destroy a lot of them. I was following those two when they made a break for this world. I didn't know where they would end up, so I had to follow them, but the Digimon have been attacking me and Cyberdramon unprovoked. Even the calmer ones, which is why I'll have to go back, soon," he explained.

"We'll come with you," Takato entered the conversation. "Whatever's going on down there, we'll have to help you. Whoever's doing this has to be stopped,"

"What about this world? They'll still come here, searching for all of you. Some will have to stay back to protect the city," Ryo pointed out the flaw in his plan.

"Oh yeah," Takato replied. "Who will it be?"

"Not me," Rika stepped forward. "_I'm_ going. The strongest Digimon are gonna be there, and I love a good fight,"

"You just want to be with me," Ryo teased her. _Not that I can help it when you and Aok are around. Damn this confused heart of mine! I can barely contain myself. _Rika thought in her head.

"No, I just want to fight the strongest Digimon," she repeated. "What about Aok? Shouldn't he be informed? He is a Tamer, after all,"

"We don't need him to come," Ryo told her. "We've done fine without him so far, and he takes on the strongest opponent every time. That's not fair," A loud explosion from the direction Aok had gone interrupted the exchange.

"Let's hurry!" Henry said, although Rika and Kyubimon were already on their way.

"That was a fast Digivolution," Takato remarked, who made Guilomon do just that.

Aok and Kriegermon never saw it coming. A blast of unholy energy hit both of them from behind. It lifted Aok high into the air, and he fell hard as Kriegermon managed to survive the attack, but only just. He was still greatly weakened from his previous ordeal. Glancing over at his Tamer, he saw that he was unmoving, but closer examination revealed he was still breathing. He was just unconscious. That was good, although it meant he wouldn't be able to Digivolve to protect his partner. He also only had his physical speed and physical hits to deal with the Devimon that attacked them. He raced towards the Champion-level Digimon that had snuck up on them, grabbing an arm that had been outstretched towards them and flinging him into a building, releasing a huge cloud of dust and making an incredible noise. They hadn't been gone long, and hopefully Rika and Kyubimon would be there soon.

Devimon got up and unleashed another of his Death Hand attacks, which hit Kriegermon and threw him backwards past the two people he desperately wanted to see.

"Aok!" she cried when she saw him. Devimon sliced towards them with his unnaturally long arms, and a tree fell down onto the boy she was bent on saving.

"Don't worry about him now," Kriegermon spoke calmly. "He's been worse. Let's focus on what's dangerous," and with that he raced towards Devimon, slashing off his hand with claws Rika had never seen before. No, they were knives held between his fingers she saw after a closer look. The opponent began to run off as Growlmon, Gargomon, and Cyberdramon emerged, making it clear he had no hope of winning.

"Oh no you don't!" Rika shouted. "Get it, Kyubimon!"

"With pleasure!" she growled. "Dragon Wheel!" She spun so rapidly she began to look like nothing more than a circle of brilliant fire racing towards her target. A true hit destroyed the Devimon, and as that finished, Kyubimon, Rika, and Kriegermon turned to find Growlmon lifting the tree off of Aok. He stirred, and Rika saw a large area of discoloring on his clothes. Blood.

"You should be more careful," Ryo spat. "So much for not being able to be beat. That Devimon took care of you pretty easily." Rika shot him a look, but he didn't see it. _Ugh. Boys will be boy, I suppose._

"Would you like to see if that's really true?" Kriegermon was closer to him than even Cyberdramon, and he still had his knives in his hand. Ryo's face drained of a little color, but it wasn't long before he regained it.

"Aren't you sneaky?" he replied, walking away. Kriegermon let him go, electing to return Cyberdramon's stare.

"Rika," Aok moaned. There was a lot of blood inside of him and not in his veins.

"What is it?" she asked, worried. Ryo looked at it with distaste in his eyes.

"I had that handled. Why'd you have to go and steal the show?" _Is he _trying _to make me angry?_

"Shut up," she replied.

"Help me up?"

"Sure," Rika grabbed an arm, and Henry the other. Aok moaned uncomfortably as he did so. When they let go of him, it took several moments for him to gain his balance, and as he took a few steps he began to walk naturally.

"You don't need to worry about me," he told her. "I'm very resilient. It'll take more than a tree falling on me to keep me down,"

"You're such an idiot," she shook her head, pushing him. He fell over in a heap.

"Oww!" he shouted angrily. "What was that for?"  
>"If it hurts that bad, you should've told me!" Rika shouted back.<p>

"I'm fine!" he tried to reassure her.

"No you're not!"  
>"Are too!"<p>

"Liar!"

"Hmmph," Aok got himself up. Albeit a little slowly. He sat down on the trunk of the tree he had been under a minute before.

"This isn't a coincidence," he muttered. "Digimon are attacking us, and coming from the Digital World in order to do so,"

"We've figured that much out," Henry replied. "We've already got a plan. Rika and Ryo will go to the Digital World while Takato and I protect the city,"

"And what will I be doing in this plan the four of you have thought up?" he inquired.

"Resting," Ryo told him. "We've all done fine without you butting in, and we can do this, too,"

"Actually, I fully intend on going to the digital world. I haven't been there before,"

"You're too injured, Aok," Rika chipped in. "We can do this just fine without you,"

"Ha! It's just a flesh wound. I'll be healed in a week. If not, I'll stay here until I'm better, then come join you. It's as simple as that,"

"Stay here," Ryo ordered.

"I can tell we won't get along very well when we're all in the Digital World," he said, getting up. "Rika, you won't mind walking me home, will you?"

"Not at all,"

Upon arriving, Aok's Uncle Charlie saw the blood and guessed what must have happened. He drove Aok to the emergency room, whereupon it was confirmed that the boy indeed would be fine within a week. Just a bit of rest was all that was needed. Hearing this, Aok breathed a sigh of relief. The car ride home was interrogative.

"What happened?" Charlie demanded.

"Kriegermon and I got attacked by a rogue Digimon after fighting off an Ultimate and Champion with Rika and her Renemon. I was alone, and it came from behind. Uncle Charlie, my friends say they know a way to get to the Digital World, and I'll have to go with some of them. They followed me, Uncle. They killed my parents in America but they're still not satisfied!"

"The Volkermord Army is vicious, Aok. Just look at what they did to the online game," And he was right, of course. Players from all over had their Digimon suddenly being ambushed by Digimon calling themselves the Volkermord Army. The players' Digimon were not destroyed, rather they were infected with a virus and forced to join the Volkermord's forces. The virus theoretically could be stopped if a Digivice was equpped with a firewall that transferred to its corresponding Digimon, but it had never been tested. Charlie was a computer programmer, and a damn good one; he had created the firewall that now protected Kriegermon.

"I know, Uncle, but I have to do this. I looked into it. Volkermord? It's German for Genocide. They've gone after Tamers and their partners. Think of what that means. Now that they're bio-emerging here, too, I can only guess what their master plan is, but I don't think it bodes well for humanity. You have to let me do this. Please. For my parents," That was his trump card and they both knew it. Charlie had no choice but to relent at this, for before Aok had said that, he wasn't going to allow the teenager to go, but his brother and sister-in-law's death pained him just as much as it did Aok, and he wanted revenge, too.

"You can go," he spoke softly.

"Thank you, Uncle," Aok replied. "I'll be back before you know it!"

"Bring your friends to the house. I want to give their Digimon the Eld-Vegg program as well. Will you all be going?"  
>"No. It'll just be three of us. Two others will stay here to guard the city,"<p>

"Good, good," he muttered. The rest of the way was silent once Aok called Rika on his cell telling her to bring everyone to his house.

"The Eld-Vegg program prevents the Volkermord from infecting your Digimon," Charlie began. "Without it, it would be quite possible for the Volkermord Army's leader to take control of your Digimon. That's all I can give you, and there's nothing else to say, except good luck," he walked out of the living room and into the kitchen, bringing out boxes of steaming pizza varieties.

"Are you sure you can keep Ryo and Aok from each other's throats?" Henry asked Rika, soliciting a smile from Takato.

"Butt out, stupid," was the only thing he got.

"I won't finish anything if he doesn't start anything," Aok grunted through his full mouth.

"Hey!" Ryo shot back. "At least I'm not a magnet for danger! These Digimon have appeared everywhere you've been. I think something's up," Aok glared at him for a second before turning away. He was right, of course. This latest string of Bio-emerging Digimon had all been agents of the Volkermord Army, although it was not fair to say that they were just going after him. He knew a Tamer in America that had gotten killed already. They were going for every Tamer they could, trying to get rid of the only forces in the real world that could stop them.

"You don't know the half of it," Aok answered bitterly a few moments later. They finished the pizzas and made plans to meet at Guilomon's hideout in the park the next morning. Aok came with a bag of fresh fruits and Gatorades, while Takato brought a heaping bag of newly-made bread. They ate in silence before Henry and Takato got up, brushing the crumbs off their laps.

"Good luck," the goggle-wearing kid spoke.

"Thanks," Aok breathed as he lifted a camping backpack. Or what was a camping backpack. Only two small sacks, filled with some kindling and fire-starters, hung from it. Three sleeping bags took up most of the space. Whistles and flashlights were stuffed into each one.

"All that stuff?" Ryo asked like he thought Aok was being stupid.

"Sorry for thinking of you," Aok hopped into the hole fearlessly, as did Kriegermon. The other two soon followed.

***Author's Note***

This is the end of Chapter One. Chapter Two will begin soon! Thanks again for reading!


End file.
